


Intrigue

by aggiepuff, Whedonista93



Series: Zutara Month 2020 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Matchmaking, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fic, Zutara, Zutara Month, Zutara Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:01:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22522159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aggiepuff/pseuds/aggiepuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: For the Water Tribe girl’s service, for her reminder that humanity was worth her compassion, the Painted Lady vowed to watch over the girl, to keep her safe and offer her wisdom.
Relationships: Blue Spirit/Painted Lady, Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Month 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620535
Comments: 22
Kudos: 310





	Intrigue

**Author's Note:**

> Feb 1 - The Blue Spirit & The Painted Lady

It all started with a steaming dumpling and a prayer whispered in her ear.

The Painted Lady set aside her mortar and pestle and went to the mortal plane for the first time in a century, drawn by the apology on the wind. 

The blue eyed girl kneeling at her alter had the brown hair and dark skin of the Water Tribes, but dressed in Fire Nation red and gold. A contradiction. 

The Painted Lady watched as the girl, no older than fourteen, finished her apology prayer before dipping her fingers into red paint. She watched, something very much like shock rising in her, as the Water Tribe girl painted her face as a mirror of the Lady’s own. _Intriguing_.

She watched the girl heal the sick of the Painted Lady’s village, the one that stopped offering her prayers almost one hundred years ago. The village the Painted Lady abandoned when their offerings stopped. Her chest grew heavy with guilt at the memory. 

For the Water Tribe girl’s service, for her reminder that humanity was worth her compassion, the Painted Lady vowed to watch over the girl, to keep her safe and offer her wisdom. 

What the Painted Lady did not expect with this vow, was to find the Blue Spirit following the girl and her companions almost a mortal year later. “What are you doing here?” she demanded of him as he perched in a tree, hidden from the humans.

The Blue Spirit started, almost toppling from his branch. “My Lady!”

The Painted Lady crossed her arms and repeated, “What are you doing here, Blue?”

“The boy,” Blue said and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“Which boy? There are three.”

Blue pointed. “That one.”

The Painted Lady frowned, following the Blue Spirit’s finger to the teenager with dark hair and fair skin, a red scar blossoming around his left eye. “That’s the Fire Prince.”

“Yes,” the Blue Spirit agreed amiably.

“You’re a spirit of the Water Tribes. What is your interest in the Fire Prince?”

“He wore my face. I wanted to know why and I have followed him ever since. He’s quite enamored with the Water Tribe girl.” The Blue Spirit tilted his head, as if having a sudden thought. “Why are you here? I thought you swore off the mortal world after the Fire Nation polluted your river.”

The Painted Lady’s mouth twitched and she pointed. 

“The Water Tribe girl? But you’re a spirit of the Fire Nation.”

“I am also a river spirit and my heart is of water.”

The Blue Spirit waited and she could feel his disbelief. She sighed after a long moment. “The girl healed the people of my village. I owe her a debt.”

“So how do you intend to repay her?”

There was something about his voice. The Painted Lady eyed him suspiciously. “You have something in mind.”

She could hear his grin when he said, “I do.”

She raised an eyebrow impatiently. “Well?”

“Do you remember, a couple centuries ago? We were both wandering the Earth Kingdom…”

The Painted Lady frowned, memories of their ill-fated romance - _if you could call it that_ \- filtering through her mind. “We almost destroyed a city when that _tryst_ ended.”

The Blue Spirit shook his head. “We are spirits and we are what we are: old, stubborn, oft unchangeable. _They_ are human: young, changeable, and they balance each other.”

The Painted Lady tilted her head, watched the girl and the prince practically dance around each other, watched them communicate without speaking, and thought, _Yin and Yang_. “Though it pains me to admit as much… you may be correct.”

He offered a hand across the branch. “Care to play matchmaker, my lady?”

She hesitated only briefly before she accepted his hand with a nod. “Let’s.”


End file.
